Isbister School was built for the 1899 school year at a cost of approximately $20,000. It was named for Alexander Kennedy Isbister, a pioneering teacher and lawyer.By 1900 it had an enrollment of 530 pupils, one of the city's largest. In the post-war period attendance began to decline as families opted to live in the suburbs. In 1966 it became the Winnipeg School Division's Winnipeg Adult Education Centre offering high school equivalence courses.In 1984 the building was designated a provincial heritage site and is the oldest surviving public school building in the city.

Renovations to the original building and a new glass and stone extension was added to the west side in 2003 - 04.

Aside from high school equivalency, the centre offers basic literacy courses, English as a Second Language and computer training and has a staff of 45 teachers. In 2007/08 940 students attended the WAEC.

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About Me

I'm born and raised in Winnipeg and a proud resident of the West End !
Most of my spare time is spent researching local history for one of my blogs, my radio show on 101.5 UMFM or my Winnipeg Free Press column. I've also been known to do a walking tour or two.
I'm a font of useless history trivia. Do not sit next to me at a party !
If you'd like to get hold of me, email is the best way: cassidy -at- mts.net I get an ever increasing amount of email, so bear with me if you don't hear back right away.